Synchronized Dancin'Mitchell Ahr

Project Description

Our team was tasked with the challenge of programming eight identical robots to perform a synchronized "dance" to the song "Piano Man" by Billy Joel. We used the tank build to complete this project.

What did I find difficult about the project?

The most difficult aspect of the project was definitely the 'synchronized' part of it. No two motors act identically to a given program, so synchronizing the robots in a way that was most appealing was a struggle.

Pictures

Program

Dance 1

Dance 2 (mirror)

Flow Chart

Dance 1

Dance 2

Pseudo-code

The two variations of the dance programs we created acted as mirror images of each other to improve visual attractiveness. All eight robots start in a circle arrangement. Then, they move backward about 3 feet, forward back to their original position, and turn right then left. After that, they then move backward again, turn left, backward even further, turn left again, then turn right. Finally, the robots move forward, back, forward, then turn right then left slowly until they are arranged in a larger circle again. The finale is a dash back into the battle zone, where they all collide with one another in a mosh pit.

My Contribution

I was a large advocate of using the classic great "Piano Man' as our song. Also, I worked with our programmers to figure out some of the logistics and synchronize the robots as much as possible.